Jennifer B. has been with Publix since 1980, when she started working part time in high school. She has held positions of Assistant Director of public relations and Director of media relations, but her current role as the Company Historian is the highlight of her career. She loves sharing Publix trivia, telling stories about Mr. George and solving Publix’s history mysteries. In her life outside of Publix, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her husband and catering to the whims of their cat Jackson, who is master of all he surveys.

In my role as Publix historian, I’ve collected many great pieces of Publix memorabilia, but my favorite is an artifact from Georgia that dates back to the late 1800s. You’re probably wondering how something from the 1800s could have anything to do with Publix, since we were founded in 1930 in Winter Haven, Florida. If … (Read the full story)

Since the beginning, George Jenkins sought ways to bring beauty to his stores. One of the most unique examples takes us back to the 1960s. It all started when Mr. George was on a trip to California. He happened to drive past a building decorated with a colorful mosaic tile mural. He had never seen … (Read the full story)

When people hear the phrase, “where shopping is a pleasure,” Publix immediately comes to mind. That slogan has been around for a very long time, but it wasn’t the first. When 22-year-old George Jenkins decided to open his own business in 1930, he was determined to run a better store than anyone else. He focused … (Read the full story)

Did you know that on average it takes about nine months to build a Publix store? Even before the first load of concrete is poured, there are months – sometimes years – of planning. When all the planning and hard work is complete, it’s cause for celebration! But there’s one more thing that happens before … (Read the full story)

When you’re celebrating an important event like a wedding, a milestone birthday or anniversary, you’ll probably have a special cake. Publix’s history is filled with stories about special cakes made for important events. One of my favorites is a story from the 1950s about a 5,000-lb. anniversary cake, and another favorite is from Publix’s 88th … (Read the full story)

You’ve probably seen historical markers in your community — signs or plaques that commemorate a person, event or place that has a significant meaning in history. Winter Haven, Florida, is home to two of the most significant buildings in Publix’s history. But for many years, you would not have known it because the buildings retained … (Read the full story)

On January 1, 2000, people around the world celebrated the arrival of the new millennium. This decade brought advances in technology that would enable Publix to test new ideas and improve our stores, bringing customers exciting new products, services and store designs. Hitting 1,000 stores Publix continued expanding into more states, creating jobs, building … (Read the full story)

You’ve probably heard the expression, “bursting at the seams.” Well, that’s a pretty good description of what’s been happening at Publix’s corporate office in Lakeland, Fla. Today, a big announcement was made: Publix is expanding our corporate office building! The expansion will add 190,000 square feet of office space to the current 320,000 square feet, … (Read the full story)

As Publix turns 88 this year, we thought it would be fun to take a look at how we celebrated some milestone anniversaries over the years. When you consider that the company began in 1930 on the heels of the Great Depression and had to go through the lean years of wartime shortages in the … (Read the full story)